//------------------------------// // Chp. 2 - The First Song // Story: Indomitable Journey's End // by Slendy //------------------------------// I read through the letter again in my paw, with Yui grabbing her things as the train slowly began to pull up into the station. With Spike, the ever-so-important messenger, we received a summons of sorts from Princess Celestia about the rumble down under. Dear Zen Amadeus, I will keep this brief; the recent tremors that have plagued Equestria have grown increasingly hazardous for all walks of life. I wouldn't be requesting your help if I wasn't certain a monster was behind this catastrophe. Please, when you receive this, come to Canterlot so we may discuss the matter further. With our meeting, alongside Captain Topaz and the Huntress Ren, I hope we can see to the end of these earthquakes before it is too late. Sincerely, Your friend, Celestia "To think it warrants all of us for this..." Yui wondered, hopping beside me until the train came to a stop, then she nudged my leg. "Hey, Zen?" "Huh, what?" Shaking my stupor off, I smiled. "Sorry, just lost in thought again." "Still trying to wrack your brain for the monster's name?" Yui guessed, sighing a humorous look. "You know it's only natural not to know everything - look at me, I'm a treasure hunter, yet I'm here trying to fight monsters and wyverns alongside a guy who's a literal library for the stuff." "Heh, fair point," I defended, stepping off the train with Yui behind me. "It's just I swear I know this monster, I've faced it, but I can't place where or when." It's been a very long time since I actually played a video game; the memories of such become a blur between then and Equestria facing them head-on. "And for the record, you've handled yourself quite well against monsters without me - like Rathian." "Uuuugh, don't remind me!" She groaned to the high-heavens, rubbing her muzzle with her wing. "I can still smell the poison in my mane! Not to mention my stomach felt like a dragon kicked it..." "But it was a dragon," She jabbed my calf. "Yah!" "'But it was a dragon', jerk - not everyone has metal bones," Yui trotted ahead of me, hood up. "Come on, Monster Hunter, before Canterlot gets split in half or something." My face paled. "Please don't red flag us, specifically me." Yui giggled with that cute fanged smile of hers, again, shutting down any complaints I had. It's a curse, I swear. Once inside Canterlot, another slight tremor shook the world, constantly giving me a headache from that annoyingly awful melody; thankfully, being up on that mountain meant it didn't travel as far, though that was still a concern. Ahead of us, I sensed a familiar soul among the routine guards, one that brought a smile to my muzzle. "'If it isn't the fellow Hunter to grace us once more!'" From behind a pillar stood the only one of two humans in Equestria not turned into something else. With snow-white hair and a pair of braids, layered head-to-toe in Nargacuga armour, was the crimson-eyed Huntress from the Old World, Ren. She gave us a boisterous wave, chomping on an apple. "Heeeey, it's my main wolfman, Zen! And the studious Yui, been a while, huh?" "Hi again, Ren," Yui greeted. "I'm guessing you're here about the tremors?" "Who isn't these days? Thing's been causing so many of those stuck-up smart ponies to lose their cool; I'm honestly glad my doofus of a brother's up at the Crystal Empire, he'd probably throw them out a window or something," She replied between bites, pointing her finger toward me. "So, any takes on this, wolfman?" For once, I threw my arms down in defeat, sagging. "'I've got nothing, maybe an Elder Dragon - certainly not a Black Dragon,'" If it were, we'd be dead by now. "'You?'" "No dice, here's hoping it's not anything fire-related, hehe," She sweatdropped nervously; even Yui gave her a look of worry. "H-hey, I'm getting better at handling my pyrophobia, just... not very big flames or Equestria's dragons." Suddenly, a wave of anger slammed into my chest, tickling mine and Yui's ears. Something caused a stir in the castle. "SOMEPONY BROKE INTO THE KITCHEN A STOLE A BUNCH OF FOOD!!" "NOT AGAIN, JERRY!" "THIS IS WHY WE ROTATE SHIFTS, EVERY TIME!" "Ren-" "I did nothing wrong," She tossed the apple core away as Topaz suddenly emerged behind me and Yui, the latter latching onto my legs from how stealthy the - wow, she is really sleep-deprived, even her face looks like it's dead. "-you actually did it." Topaz blinked at the hunter's cackle, rubbing her eyes. "I let you out my sight for one minute... you know what, buck it, I don't care." The grumbling mare spat out, giving Yui and me a tired smile. "Glad you could make it, Zen, be a pal and help a girl up?" "'Sure!'" Stepping forward, I put my hands on her head, seeing the soothing wave of pink rush over her body; Calm Mind worked its magic, prepping the honeycomb unicorn back to full strength, mentally, that is. "'Better?'" "Ahh... well, any consolation, I'm envious of Yui, bet that keeps the nights interesting," Said mare went rigid as I felt my face begin to burn a little at the insinuation, the two of us looking away. Bad brain, bad brain, bad brain... "You know, you'd think after two years they'd be chill about this," Ren shrugged. "You two are so weird." "Get a room!!" We yelled at the pair, Topaz snorting a laugh while Ren stuck her tongue out at us. "Topaz, please-" Another voice chimed in from the adjacent corridor. Belonging to a similar therstral to Yui, his hoof running through his mane. "-the last thing I really want to know is my little sister's se-" "YES, IT'S GREAT TO SEE YOU AGAIN, VEGA, MISSED YOU~!" Yui shot forward to cover his mouth, face going from light grey to scarlet, pupils pinpricks. Her grip looked to be vice-like since Vega's face started turning blue, tapping her iron hooves. "Hehehe, now, what were you gonna say, big brother, certainly nice things about me, hmm?" "She is way too intense." I think all our thoughts aligned, shuffling back once Vega was released. "Happy... to see... you too - think that ache... in my neck's gone... now," He huffed and puffed, face turning to its normal shade again, shaking his head. "Topaz, did you send those orders through to the divisions?" "Took an all-nighter, thanks - yeah, now, before somepony else lands another stack of paperwork on my desk, let's get this meeting started - Vega, take care of the rest for me before I commit a war crime," Topaz spoke with a not-so-sweet voice. "Already ahead of you," He huffed, turning to give Yui a quick hug, herself returning it. "Be careful, alright?" "Like you'd do any better," She joked, tapping his silver breastplate. "Try not to pull your mane out, Captain." "Haha," He humoured her, giving me a silent look, letting his aura tell me all I needed without anyone's knowledge. I smiled, giving a small salute of my fingers before Topaz led us through the castle. The last time I really came here for a meeting was shortly after our battle with Safi'Jiiva; with Celestia and Luna's help, I hope to, if 'other' hurdles can be conquered, set up a Guild of my own here. Monsters will continue to appear in this world; for all I knew, it was a progenitor to Equestria becoming much like Monster Hunter. And with Ren and her brother apparently, it might prove to be an invaluable piece to Equestria's future. That, and I really just want to make the Guild, the idea sounds really cool in my head. Lots of funding, though... Once inside, only Princess Celestia was present, her sister more than likely asleep or attempting to sort out the tremor issues. She gave us all a warm smile, bowing her head as we all reciprocated it; my heritage never lost on me. "My subjects, and my friends, Ren and Zen." Huh, our names do roll off the tongue in tandem. "I'm grateful you are all here; now we can discuss the matter personally." Raising her head, Yui spoke up. "If you don't mind my asking, Princess, but-" She took her hood down. "-do you have any idea what's causing these earthquakes? We know it may be a monster, but something of this large of a scale has to have a source, right?" "Right you are, Yui," She concurred, feeling the faint tremor shake the throne room. "They grow larger and more frequent with every rise of the sun, and while it shames me to admit it, I... have no identification on the creature responsible." "Seriously?" Ren blurted out, unlike me, who was pretty tame with authority; Ren wasn't much in the way of formal mannerisms. "No offence, but there ain't many monsters that, you know, can really shake the earth this much, hard to miss, ya know?" "Watch your tone," One guard made the dumb move of speaking his mind. "Now you've done it..." I muttered that Yui was the only one that technically spoke Pokemon. Ren turned on her heel, hand to her hip. "Listen, buddy, I know I don't get all your customs, but I'm a Hunter, we don't bother with formal affairs often, heck, the whole Guild doesn't make big deals of monsters less it's important," Sighing, she closed her eyes a moment. "All I'm sayin' is that I'm taking this seriously, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna pretend I grew up in some fancy kingdom where I had every fed to me with a silver spoon, get me?" Opening her eyes, she offered us a reassuring grin, waving to the Princess. "Sorry, just a habit when you live your life surrounded by monsters, kinda skip formalities." "It is quite alright," Celestia forgave. "I understand my knowledge is not as fortuitous as I'd like, if I'm honest, you four have had far more experience with these Wyverns than my subjects; if anypony here could aid us, it would be you." Really putting us on a pedestal, I felt a little anxious. "It'll be okay," Yui whispered to me, automatically sensing I was tense, and they say I'm the aura sensor. There was a great silence; Celestia's aura was always this radiance that mimicked the sunlight; in her core, she was beyond scared, frightened for her home, her people; it was overwhelming her and the guilt... My ears stood up, realization dawning as she opened her eyes, laughing gently. "You are very perceptive, Zen; even for all my years, I cannot hide my aura from another who sees it too," I flinched when she met my gaze. "Do not feel alarmed; I indeed harbour guilt, for I... have failed my father in a way." This shocked all of us. Not often you hear about her folks, but she seemed sombre, casing her golden magic to force a blank tapestry into existence. It was old, to the point the wrong touch could turn it to dust. She unfurled its short length before us. "Tell me, have you heard of the First Song?" Our silence was long, so she nodded. "I understand, it's not often spoken of, this was a well-kept story from mine and Luna's childhood, even I have no knowledge on when it came to be, only that our father spoke of it with great care," "Princess, is this... related to the earthquakes?" Yui wondered, but I saw it; she was buzzing with a need to know more; I won't lie, I was inquisitive too. A story untold, now that's a title! "Yes," She sat the tapestry down, allowing us, even her stationary guards, to observe as the blank face took shape, black markings warping with her words. "The tale is as old as Ponykind, my father's own ancestors told many stories, some layered in secrets for the sake of Equestria, this one, however, is of the First Song..." Celestia began her tale. "Long ago, Equestria was, like today, plagued with beasts of an unknown realm, nopony knew of their origins, nor why such creatures came into being, only that they too, like all living creatures, fought to survive..." The ancient tapestry took the form of ponies behind walls to villages. Some ran while many held up spears or fought with magic barriers against dark depictions of large monsters of various shapes and sizes. Some looked agile with crimson eyes; others took to the skies, lunging down with their talons like dragons. One was so large and serpentine in shape; its maw could swallow a village whole. "In time, these monsters would come and go, an existence that, with time, every generation of our kind learned to combat. In a way, Zen was ours, and before, others were guardians too. Sometimes, these monsters simply were too much, ancient and in hiding to this day." Another image manifested, dark and showered in flames. Weapons lay discarded, banners torn and battlements in ashes. Standing against the towers, an imposing beast of black overlook the kingdom; flames hung its maw like a furnace, eyes fueled by death and fire. Even its tail coiled so tenderly around a tower. "One such legend is of the First Song; When Equestria was prospering, ancient creatures, pony or otherwise, felt something stir from deep beneath Equestria, an eerie cry of the world as it mourned a great calamity, it was a warning - they tried to warn their fellow kin of this impending doom, but none dare listened to the thoughts of those lost in the magic, to fantasy," These ancient creatures, dressed like sages of old, gave their warnings, hooves or claws wide at the masses. One by one, the crowds became mere echoes of their pleas, none listened, and the cracks under the tapestry worsened, splitting apart the world above. "This calamity, a song that shook Equestria far and wide, ripped apart the lands, kingdoms returned to dust, great ravines and floods consuming the now divided land, splitting Equestria across the east, transforming it into the land it was today. Much of the circumference of Equestria was... simply swallowed by the sea," The shaking stopped, the map of Equestria shredded and split like glass, where there were kingdoms, homes, families, was only the sea or ruins. The face of Equestria had changed forever... When Celestia lowered the magical parchment, it remained forever fixed on the world fractured beyond repair. The ancient mare sighed a long, exasperated breath. "Our father spoke of this tale to us often, and I can admit, it was farfetched at first, and now... I see we have only led ourselves to repeat what the First Song had done to our world." The news, rather, the repetition on Equestria's history, hit us like a ton of bricks. Ren whistled with her arms crossed. "Y'know, even after spending a lot of time here, this whole magic really still blows my mind," She looked around, reading the room a little. "So this First Song is happening again; I can't say I'm not worried what'll happen if we let it continue." "I've seen so many retellings of stories across Equestria, but never once had I heard of the First Song," If Yui looked puzzled, then that was a bad sign. "I wouldn't know where to look; we need a reference; otherwise, fancy words are just that." "I concur," Celestia sighed, Topaz stepping forward to reveal a map of Equestria as it were today. "Thank you - Topaz, if you would." She nodded, pointing to a blip off the west coast. "See, while back then detecting epicentres for earthquakes wasn't as advanced as it is now, we've managed to isolate the source, though it moves it generally happens here, on a small island that's completely uninhabited by any species." "'Sounds like an Elder Dragon's favourite hotspot,'" I surmised, Ren, agreeing with me. "Only seems fitting; elders have the power to do this, might be the big ol' snake I heard could crush a mountain with its length." "Seriously?" Topaz and Yui echoed at us I smiled. "'Ooooh, what's his face, um... ah! Dalamadur!'" Beaming, Ren clicked her fingers. "That's the one; I always wanted to see one up close." She sighed dreamily. "Can we please not jinx it, dragons I can handle, flaming swordtail thing, sure, but that's where I draw the line," Topaz muttered, shaking her head. "If it is an Elder Dragon, we need to take care of it, just like Safi'Jiiva." Guess that meant Celestia only wanted us to go hunt this thing down. With my abilities as a Lucario, Ren, an expert hunter, Yui with her knowledge and Moon magic, plus Topaz, who also confronted several monsters before. Looking to the princess, she smiled back at me. "I trust you can handle this? My sister and I need to do what we can to oversee the damages caused already and any that may ensue across Equestria." "Just us? Me?" Topaz blinked, her emotions forever in uncertainty until Ren patted her mane. "Why not? We've taken on big monsters; what's another for the books?" Her confidence was very infectious, Yui bumping her wing to my fist. "Partners to the ends of the earth, right?" She hummed, making this situation far less harrowing. "'Yeah, all of us,'" Eyeing Celestia, I put on my brave face. "'We'll stop the First Song, I promise.'" That I will never take lightly. The monarch bowed her head at us, feeling almost pleading in her words. "I cannot thank any of you enough to burden yourselves with the past." "The essence of a Hunter is a culture of danger," Ren pointed out, shrugging. "A monster capable of shaking the whole continent, now that's got my heart ticking must faster." Topaz sighed. "Sure, I might actually get some sleep again." "Thank you, all of you," Celestia's woes were lighter on her heart. Once the meeting and preparations were handled, I sat out in the garden overlooking the endless world below. To my left, Yui was laughing as Topaz smugly retold a story about Vega, said bat-pony hiding his face behind his wings in shame. It was a sweet sight; I honestly never got bored of it, seeing her happy. How the sun glossed over her lilac hair, her one obscured eye; everything felt so refined I was afraid I might still be dreaming of my time spent here. Guess that's just what being stupidly infatuated with a treasure hunter will do to the mind. "You still haven't asked, have ya?" I leapt at Ren's sudden appearance, taking her helmet off to let her hair blow free, eyes on mine. "Don't see the you-know-what on her soooo... you chickened out." An anvil struck my head. "'I haven't!'" I defended, slowly turning redder. "Aw, you're cute when you blush~." "'Great, now I'm being tormented at the end of the world,'" Why was that oddly familiar? Slumping against the wall, I just stared out toward the horizon. "'I really have tried, but... nothing seemed right, you know? Perfect even!'" The universe was against me. "'Every chance I get that does fit the bill ends up falling apart, the latest was by the name of the Sky Comet Dragon, what fun that was...'" "It doesn't have to be," Ren shook her head, turning to look at the world with me, sitting against the wall. "Sure, no girl wants some bland, unimaginative moment, but... if I'm honest, that's pretty dumb; if she's as stupidly in love with you as I've come to know, and I know a lot of stuff, then it'll work out, regardless of the time or place," Ren patted my shoulder. "Give it some thought, but don't wait - Hunters live in danger constantly with our line of work, sometimes... our own strength can't win a fight." "'Guess that's why we work in teams,'" I joked, her knuckle bumping to my temple. "'T-thanks I'll... do my best.'" I exhaled, feeling a weighted rest in my chest. Looking over at Yui again, conflict, complete terror, and a lot more were swimming in my head that aura sense wasn't needed. Why now at the point the world could be ending? What kind of cliche is that, universe? And 'The' question of all things! Slumping, I could hear it, muffled under the earth, the song's ghostly chime, "Man, I am really screwed." "Zeeen, come on, what is it~?" It was always adorable hearing Yui whine, especially if it involved something valuable. I led her and Topaz through Canterlot to the Armory for a particular reason. Ren was a big help, so was Celestia; I don't know how many times I thanked them for this. The one-winged bat poked my leg, attempting to pry an answer from my smug grin. "I hate that, you and your stupid smile like a canary." "Lucario." I hummed, chuckling as her wing missed me again. "'Just inside-'" I held my paw up to stop them. "'-really couldn't have done this without Celestia and Ren, so thank them, not me, I just cobbled the plans together.'" "Alright, I'll bite too," Topaz sighed, using her magic to immediately pry me from the doorway, pushing it open with Yui vaulting inside, the Captain following suit as I rolled my eyes. Once inside, I heard the pair gasp and fawn over the two stands awaiting them. "No... way." "'Yeah way, bud - ta da~'" I shook my jazz hands toward the armour stands, one more suited than the other for obvious reasons. Stepping forward and clearing my thoughts, I set up my display. "'Presenting to the lovely treasure hunter, a suit of Kirin Armor fashioned from both the normal Kirin and Oroshi last Christmas - what fun that was on my claws'" I couldn't feel them after working with the stuff. The armour was fitted perfectly for Yui's size, a mesh of the standard Kirin's white and blue scales with a transition of dark purple and black fur for a jacket collar. Straps for the flank plates and bracers sat on the table behind the stands. The most notable piece was the helmet fixed with a sub-zero horn, a faint white mist still gathering around the forehead. It would provide quite the buff compared to the vambraces made from Acidic Glavenus from way back. "Thank you, thank you, thank you~!" She praised earned me one kiss each and a bone-crushing hug; it was nice to know she liked it. "This is - I can't - eeeeehehe!" She squealed with stars dancing in her eyes. "You serious, this is for me?" Topaz admired her own set though it was more to replace her helmet solely due to resources. She felt waves of awe, conflict, and admiration flooding her soul as I patted her head. "Isn't that...?" Yui caught on as I nodded. "'I failed to slay it but what you're seeing is a scarce helmet crafted with the few materials I gathered from Valstrax,'" I answered their lapse of silence. Ren helped forge a helmet rather quickly with some added resources and gotta love artisans from the Old World. Modifying Topaz's standard helmet, the gold was replaced with metallic silver, the scalp angular and jagged with a dark grey visor with light red eyes and a plated mouth guard. It would give Topaz the head of an intimidating knight. While not much, the royal armour held up nicely against Monsters, so a little added dragon resistance couldn't hurt. "Buck, I both love and hate you," Topaz chuckled lightly, rubbing her eye. "Making it really hard to refuse this little quest to slay a dragon, you know?" I grinned, rubbing my nose. "What are friends for?" "What indeed," She bumped her hoof to my fist, accepting this gift. Safi'Jiiva left me without much in the way of preparations, many monsters did so, but this time, I'll be damned if I let anyone suffer for my miscalculations. What kind of Hunter would I be if I did. Besides... Looking over at Yui, who inspected her light but sturdy armour with Topaz fixing her helmet to test its weight, I felt my chest tighten. "I will ask her before my luck runs dry." To Be Continued...